


The Fish Guy

by ArielAquarial



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dean Winchester Works in an Office, Episode: s04e17 It's a Terrible Life, Fish store, Fluff, M/M, Oblivious Castiel, Owner Castiel, Pining Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 15:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13814478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielAquarial/pseuds/ArielAquarial
Summary: Deans boss decided his floor of the office complex needed a fish tank, and Cas just happens to be the one who installs it.OrDean wishes the fish tank wasn’t the only thing getting serviced.





	The Fish Guy

“No. No fucking way am I going to be feeding these damn fish everyday!” Dean huffed as he slapped a file on his desk.

“Mr. Smith.” Meg drawled, her perfectly shaped eyebrows rising. “Fish feeding will be my duty, its already been decided by Mr. Adler.”

“I just don’t see the point.” He sat in his ergonomic chair and opened the file. “They’re just fish, why the hell do we need a giant tank out front?” Dean perched his reading glasses on his nose and gestured out of his office door where workers were installing a whopping three hundred gallon tank. It would sit right behind Meg’s desk and block his view to the 6th floor’s lobby elevator. Now, when he looked out of his glass door, his view would be distorted by hundreds of little fish swimming around.

“Cant even eat them…” Dean groaned. “Why have fish you cant eat?”

His assistant set down the cup of coffee she had followed him in with. “Adler said it contributed to a ‘A calming atmosphere’ or something like that. He probably thinks an impressive tank will woo your clients.”

He snorted. “I don’t need a damn fish to woo people, I’m charming as hell.”

Meg smirked and smoothed down her black pencil skirt. “Of course, sir.”

“I’m not the director of marketing for nothing.” Dean mumbled in annoyance.

“Yes, sir. And of course, all of the floors will be getting a fish tank, not just this floor.”

“But why does it have to be right in front of _my_ office?”

“You weren’t singled out, sir. Your office just happens to be right in view of the elevators. It will be giving you a little more privacy, sir.” She trailed off as if she thought that was obvious, and he guessed it was.

He attempted to read the file, but all he could think about was damn fish. “What do you think about the tank?”

“My best friend keeps fish, sir, I find them calming.” She glanced over to the empty tank on the stand. “I think that the tank will look nice once the substrate and decorations are brought in tomorrow.”

“Substrate?” Dean questioned, narrowing his eyes at her. “What the hell is substrate.”

“The gravel, sir.” She gave him an unimpressed look. “Or sand, I guess. We wont know until tomorrow.”

He narrowed his eyes at Meg. “Am I going to have to clean it?”

“No Mr. Smith. The same person who sets up the tank will be coming back every other week to service it.”

“Service it.” He scoffed. “Great. Now I’m going to have someone in here getting water on everything.”

“I’m sure that wont be the case, sir.”

“Its going to smell like fish in here and then all of my clients are going to take their business elsewhere.”

He could hear the smirk in Megs voice when she replied. “No sir, it won’t smell like fish.”

Dean thought back to his childhood, when his dad Bobby had brought him home a goldfish. The thing didn’t do anything and his bowl stank. The damn thing died after a month and dean got a pet tortoise instead. Now that was an easy pet. It stayed outside and ate Dean’s leftover salad greens.

He looked up from his file that he had given up on reading, and looked at Meg. “Cant we just go to petco or something? Why do we need someone to bring them in?”

She brushed her Blond hair off of her shoulder and glanced down at her clipboard. “No sir, we want these fish to stay alive, and I’m sure Mr. Novak is more than qualified to bring down some fish and décor.”

“Mr. Novak.” Dean snorted and took a sip of his coffee, black with a pinch of cinnamon. “Is he a ‘Professional Fish Guy’ then?”

“Yes, he is the owner of our local fish store.”

“I still don’t see why we cant just buy some fish and slap some sticks in there.” At this point Dean knew he was just being difficult.

“Mr. Novak will need to cycle the tank for us before we can add the fish.”

Deans eyebrows shut up. “You’re speaking another language. ‘Cycle the tank’…How do you know so much? Cant you just do it?"

"No, Sir.” She smirked. “Like I said, I have a friend who keeps fish. I’ve picked up a few things here and there.”

“Great, now I’m going to have a weird fish guy to deal with.” Dean shook his head and waved Meg away. “Don’t you have work to do Meg?”

Her lips tilted up in a smile as she turned to sashay away. “Of course, sir.”

Five years as his assistant and he still wasn’t sure if she took him seriously at all. If she wasn’t damn good at her job, and if the prospect of hiring and training a new assistant wasn’t so damn daunting, he would have fired her ages ago. Would he consider her a friend? Fuck no, but she called him out of his shit when needed an she had his schedule airtight.

He took another sip of his coffee and sighed. And she made perfect coffee. Damn her.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Dean walked into work the next day only to be met with his worst nightmare. The minute the elevator opened, Deans eyes were assaulted with the sight of bucks of sand, and rocks everywhere. And where the fuck was Meg’s desk?

“Meg?!” Dean’s voice was rough and his throat felt thick as he frantically searched around for his absent assistant. And if his voice had began to inch into high pitched and girly territory, then he would deny it.

It wasn’t that dean was a neat freak, but his office hasn’t seen a speck of dust in the five years he had been at Sandover Industries. He liked order. A place for everything and everything in its place. That was his motto. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t, but still. Dean hated clutter. Abhorred it. It left him distracted and spacy, and made his day unproductive because he could only focus on the damn mess instead of his work. He had a strict no-mess code that Meg was kind enough to adhere to.

Obviously Mr. Novak wasn’t.

A head with a baseball cap timidly poked itself up and looked through the curved glass. A head that was distinctly not Meg. Poor kid couldn’t be older than twenty. “Good morning sir.”

Dean had the decency to blush at his reaction. “Are you Mr. Novak?”

His pale face fell, and dean almost felt bad for him. He would have if there wasn’t a huge fucking mess in front of him. “No, sir, I’m Alfie. I’m assisting Cas with the aquascaping today.”

“Aquasaping?” Dean questioned.

Alfie glanced around awkwardly. “Uh, yes. We’ll be adding the décor, water, and setting up the filtration today.”

He let out a deep breath and once again eyed the junk scattered around the room. The rocks and sand de could expect. But what the hell are the branches for? “And where is this ‘Cas’ right now?”

“He should be coming in momentarily, I think he went to get the moss.” Alfie bit his lip and lowered himself back behind the stand to do whatever the hell he was doing before.

Moss. There was going to be fucking moss in his lobby. Great. Just fucking great.

Mechanically, Dean let out another breath and walked into his office. The first thing he did was put down his damn blinds, blocking the mess from his view. He placed his briefcase down softly and slowly lowered himself into his comfortable chair with a sigh. He could do this. It was just one day. This was just for the ‘aquascaping’ and all of this would be gone and his office would be back to normal.

Except for the giant fucking fish bowl blocking his view of the elevator.

It was five minutes into his ‘work’ the he realized that he was missing one key component to his morning.

Meg and his Damn coffee. Already he could feel his headache forming.

Dean cleared his throat. “Um, Alfie?”

Alfie perked up from where he was fiddling with some strange canister. “Yes, Sir?”

He ground his teeth, already a headache was seeping in. If he didn’t get his coffee soon… “Would you happen to know where my assistant is?”

He smiled. “Mr. Adler called her away.”

“Great.” He growled. There was no chance in hell that Dean was going to get himself up and walk back into that room of anxiety, instead he reached into his drawer and pulled out his ibuprofen. Three should do the trick, he wagered.

Dean had actually managed to begin some work before the soothing low thrum of another male voice floated into his ear. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the voice, but couldn’t pick up on what was being said. It wasn’t until he opened his eyes and glanced out of his door that he even realized that someone had joined Alfie at the tank.

‘What a nice ass…’ was Dean’s first thought. And truly, it was. Whoever was perched on that stepping stool was bending over the top of the tank and showcasing an ass you could bounce quarters off of. Round, firm, and encased in a pair of dark jeans that stretched just so. His eyes wandered down to discover a set of muscle thick thighs that Dean wanted to put his goddamn face between.

It wasn’t until the elevator dinged and Meg stepped out of it, that Dean realized he maybe might have been staring. And drooling. But just a bit.

Meg’s face lit up with he first genuine smile Dean had ever seen on her and it lit her up like the freaking sun. “Clarence!”

Dean’s head swiveled back to the nice butt just in time to see the mystery man straighten.

Dean was graced with the profile of a strong, chiseled jaw with a light caress of stubble and a straight nose as the man- Clarence- jumped off of the stepping stool and walked to meet Meg, scooping her up in a hug that lifted her heeled feet from the ground. She laughed and held Deans coffee out so it wouldn’t spill. This was all well and good until they both leaned in and kissed each other on the cheek like they were a damn French couple.

Well Shit.

Meg never told him she had a boyfriend.

And when Meg grabbed his shapely bicep and started to lead Clarence into Deans office, he definitely didn’t notice that the guy had the most piercing blue eyes that Dean ever had the pleasure of making eye contact with.

Meg was all grins as she walked through Deans door. “Mr.Smith. I’d like to introduce you to the owner of Fine Fins. He will be the one overseeing all of the office tanks.”

Dean reached for his coffee and took it out of her hands before answering. “Nice to meet you. Clarence, was it?”

He squinted his blue eyes as he offered his hand for Dean to shake. “My name is actually Castiel, but I go by Cas.”

Dean nodded like he wasn’t really fucking confused. “Dean Smith, please call me Dean.” Oh god, please…

Meg’s eyes narrowed at him and Dean noticed that their hands had stopped shaking and they were now just holding hands. He automatically felt like a sack of shit for being so attracted to Meg’s obviously straight _boyfriend_!

“Well…” Meg started, pulling Cas away when they still hadn’t released hands. “You have a lot of work to do today, best get started.”

And if Deans eyes were glued to Cas’ ass as he walked away, then he couldn’t really be blamed. It wasn’t hurting anyone except for Dean. And he was _really_ hurting.

With a shake of his head, Dean pulled his planner out of his briefcase and tried to wrap his head around his schedule for the day. It was no use though, as seconds later he heard the tale tell click of his glass door being closed and the soft pat-pat- of Meg’s heels making their way to his desk.

“Good morning, sir. Is there anything that needs my attention this morning?” her smooth voice made him flinch.

Guiltily, he looked up. “No thank you, Meg.”

She smiled, but the hint of teeth she gave him made him highly uncomfortable. “What do you think of Mr. Novak, sir?”

“He seems nice?” Dean hedged.

“Not a ‘weird fish guy’?”

Deans blush deepened and extended to his neck. If there was one reason he hated being pale, this was it. He really needed to get more sun. “Meg, I’m sorry I insulted your boyfriend.”

She laughed loud enough that both Cas and Alfie turned to look from where they were pouring buckets of damp sand into the tank. “Boyfriend? Oh no, trust me…he’s not my type.”

Dean opened his mouth to argue before he shut it with a click of teeth. How could this man not be her type. He was fucking perfect. Great body, great face, fuck- he even had great teeth! And those lips. Dean licked his lips at the thought. “He’s not?”

“No, I prefer my men to enjoy the company of women, if you catch my drift.” She raised her eyebrow and waited.

Oh.

OH!

Deans face went from pink to tomato red. “I see.”

She just waited, a smug expression on his face.

“Is this the best friend you mentioned yesterday? The one who keeps fish?” See? Dean did keep tabs on his employees, suck it Adler.

“Yes, sir.”

“I see.”

Dean wanted so badly to ask if her friend was single, but he had to at least retain an ounce of professionalism in his office. “Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

She snorted. So much for professionalism. “If that is all…”

“Of course, get back to work then.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dean watched as she walked out of his office door and exchanged a few words with Cas on her way to the desk.

Oh shit. Was she talking about him? Dean sank into his chair and groaned. Cas was going to think he was some kind of a freak.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

It couldn’t hurt, could it? This was his space, this was practically his floor of Sandover. Everyone here worked for him. If he wanted to snoop around the fish tank, then he had every right.

With confidence he wasn’t sure he had, he walked into the lobby and plastered on a smile. It began to fade as he saw Cas sorting through rocks. How the hell was he supposed to initiate conversation with who could easily be the most attractive man who he had ever seen?

Apparently, his brain decided to go with the time tested classic of “Um…”

Cas’s head shot up and he turned to Dean with a solemn greeting. “Mr. Smith.”

Dean was sure he was going to be permanently stuck red with all of the blushing he was doing. “Please, its Dean.”

Cas nodded. “Dean.”

A small smile worked its way onto Deans face in pleasure. “Are you doing all of the buildings tanks today?”

Cas’s face seemed to gain more expression. The guy liked to talk about fish tanks. Got it. He would talk about fish all day if it made Cas smile. “No, that would tank way too long and Mr. Adler was very clear that he didn’t want us here longer than three hours.”

Dean snorted. “Yes, he’s very particular.”

A small smile graced cas’s face. “I have a few people helping me today. My brother Gabriel is setting up the tank down on the first floor and my employees are covering the rest.”

“Why are you doing mine? Shouldn’t you be doing Adler’s if you are the boss?”

Cas looked away shyly for a moment. “Well, I knew this is where Meg works so I really wanted the tank to be something special.” He added.

And dean would be damned if that didn’t make his heart squeeze in his chest. “That’s nice of you.”

“Well I was planning on doing a hardscape, but now I’m inspired to do something a little more…” Cas locked eyes with Dean before he looked away. “Green.”

“Of course.” Dean nodded. “What are you doing now?”

Cas raised his eyebrows and looked back into the bucket as if he had forgotten what he was doing. “Well, I’m trying to decide if I’m going to use the dragonstone. I’m thinking of going downstairs and trading Gabriel for his seiryu.”

“Dragonstone? Sounds cool.” Way to go Smith, way to look like a giant nerd.

Cas nodded. “It’s my favorite to work with because each stone has a lot of character. As you can see, this tank is quite large and I’m going to be needing a lot of whatever I decide to use.”

Dean forced his eyes away from Cas and they landed on the branches he had been so annoying with earlier. “And what is that for?”

“Oh.” Cas rose from his squat and walked over to pick up the branches, which actually turned out to be one large piece of spindly roots. “This is spiderwood, favorite driftwood of mine to work with. Its been soaking for a week so we shouldn’t have any problem getting it to sink. I don’t know if I’m going to use it though. Don’t know if I’m going to use any of these plants either.”

Dean nodded along like he understood, but secretly he didn’t understand why Cas couldn’t just throw some crap into the tank and call it a day. “That’s cool.”

Cas smiled and shifted his feet, keeping his eyes locked onto Deans.

“So…” He began, having no idea where he was going with this. “You like fish?”

Stupid.

Idiot.

How could you?

Cas let out a huff of laughter. “Yes, it was the only pet I was allowed to have as a child.”

And his brain just couldn’t fucking stop. Dean Smith, who had no problem at all picking up chicks, couldn’t stop himself from being totally freaking awkward around this guy. “I had a fish.”

He put the spiderwood back down. “Oh yeah? What kind?”

“Goldfish.”

He nodded. ”Ah yes, I don’t particularly like goldfish if I’m being honest with you. They are quite dirty.”

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. He wouldn’t think that a fish guy like Cas would dislike any fish. “Yeah, I didn’t have it long. It died after a month.”

And maybe Dean shouldn’t have admitted he was a fish murderer.

Cas squinted at Dean for a moment before tilting his head to the side. “That is not uncommon. If taken care of correctly, a goldfish can life up to ten years.”

“Oh…” Because what else could he say? Sorry I was a shit kid who couldn’t take care of his pets?

Cas’s head was still tilted to the side. “Most people don’t do research when buying fish the same way they would do for another pet. Goldfish need at least 20 gallons to be comfortable, they have a large bioload.”

Dean couldn’t tell if Cas was chastising at him or not. “Yeah, I didn’t have that.”

Cas nodded like it wasn’t a big deal, but now the only thing that Dean could think of was that Cas wouldn’t want to be with him because he didn’t know shit about fish. Trying to change the subject, he turned to the tank. “What is the plan?”

“Ah, well, it takes a certain amount of ‘winging it’.” He used the finger quotes and everything and Dean was going to die. This guy was fucking perfect. “Originally it was going to be pretty simple, but now that I’m changing it I’m going to have to do quite a bit of planting. Its an art, really. I’m just placing the rocks and other decoration, then I’ll add the plants and water.”

Dean nodded in understanding, he could totally see how it was an art. “What’s the inspiration?”

Cas smiled. “Well, I was watching a nature documentary yesterday and some f the landscapes were beautiful. I’m thinking of recreating one of those.”

Dean was unable to resist smiling back. “Cool.”

Dean peaked into the last bucket and saw it filled with water and what looked like a bunch of dirty sponges and balls. “What’s all that for?”

He saw what dean had focused on. “That’s just some filter media from the shop. It will jumpstart the cycle.”

Dean frowned. “Cycle?”

And then Cas launched into an explanation of nitrates and ammonia cycles and Dean had never thought about how attracted to a person he would have to be in order for him to listen to a lecture like this, but this was it. Dean felt like he could listen to Cas talk about anything in that low gravely voice of is because hot damn.

Just damn.

Every once in a while Cas would lick his bottom lip and every single time, Deans eyes would dart down to his tongue and he would imagine what that tongue would be like in his mouth, or on his throat, or sucking his-

Dean jerked himself out of his thoughts in time to realize that his pants were getting a little uncomfortable and if he didn’t get back to the safety of his desk soon there would be a problem. So dean interrupted Cas in the middle of his explanation about proper water testing procedure. “That’s cool Cas, I actually have to get back to work, but thank you for helping me out.”

Dean was already on his way through the door when he heard Cas reply. “Of course, sorry. I get a bit carried away and sometimes forget that not everyone is as interested as me.”

Well, shit.

Dean turned back to Cas, who looked a little sad. “Its not that Cas, I think what you do is awesome!”

The gummy smile that lit up his face was enough to scare away the nervous energy Dean was carrying. He visibly relaxed and gave Cas one last smile before he walked back to his desk and made another effort to get his work done.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Dean didn’t catch Cas leaving, since he had a few meetings that kept him out of the office for a few hours. Dean stood in awe because what he left behind was truly a work of art. The moment he left the elevator, he sucked in a breath and held it. It looked like a miniature lush valley. On one side, the stones sat, tall, almost touching the top of the water. Three stones of varying heights leaned up against each other for support. The stone was covered in spots of moss, sliding down one side of the rock structure and flowing into the bottom of the tank which was covered in a thick layer of what looked like grass. The grass covered the entire bottom of the tank and swayed with the flow of the water. Smaller pieces of seiryu accented the tank, peaking up from the grass and hiding at the base of a small bonzai tree that was covered with more plants and made it look like a full leafy tree. Dean looked closer and saw that some gravel had been placed to look like a walkway and it winded from the mountains towards the tree. It was minimal, but perfect, allowing dean to see through the tank and to the elevator, but giving him enough privacy that he didn’t feel like he needed to keep his door closed.

Dean never thought he would consider a fish tank awesome, but here it fucking was.

Cas knew his shit.

Meg cleared her throat and he jumped, spinning around to see Meg leaning against the wall, staring at him with a smirk. “Its beautiful, isn’t it?”

Dean flushed. “Um, yes. Its very nice.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Its better than nice.”

“Well, he set you up a nice tank.”

“Nope.” She popped the ’p’ with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll have to say this one is for you.”

“No, he said that he wanted to give you a nice tank. You now, because he’s your friend.”

She actually laughed. “Cant say this one is my style, Mr. Smith. He knows what I like, and while this is nice, I like a traditional hardscape. I know you don’t know anything about scaping, but I like rocks and wood, none of this green stuff.”

Dean was still confused.

“I think this was inspired by a certain someone’s green eyes.” She continued slowly. “I wonder who that could be?”

Dean flushed deep red and cleared his throat, looking away from her and back to the tank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Excuse me, I have work.”

He walked away to the sound of her deep laugh.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Dean prided himself on having a good memory. He always knew where everything in his office was, he had a airtight filing system, and he never- ever- forgot a face. This trait had saved his ass many times.

Every night, he had gone to bed and silently reminded himself that Cas would be coming on Friday. He felt like a child waiting for Santa to come, only this Santa was hot as fuck and instead of bringing presents, Cas was bringing fish. Up until Thursday night, he had been giddy every time he remembered Cas was coming. Then, Friday morning had come and he accidentally turned his alarm off instead of hitting snooze, so his extra ten minutes turned into almost thirty. Now he was running late and he had to skip his morning shower. He didn’t have time for his normal morning green smoothie, so he had to grab a dusty protein bar instead.

He had completely forgot about Cas. That is, until Cas marched out of his elevator, a large rolling cooler in one hand, and a frown on his face. Dean had decided that the frown was nothing personal. That was just his face. To say he was shocked at Cas’s sudden appearance would be an understatement. He fucking jumped out of his skin and dropped his paperclip holder, causing them all to scatter around his desk.

“Meg!” He greeted warmly, letting go of the cooler and giving her a hug.

She returned his hug with a smile. “Good to see you again, Clarence.”

Dean watched with a little bit of nervousness. Should he go over there and say hi? Would that look desperate? He didn’t want to look needy, but he really wanted to go over and shake his hand and tell him how wonderful the tank looked, even sans fish. But Cas and Meg were talking, and he really didn’t want to go over and interrupt that. The last thing he wanted to appear as was rude. He already had a close call with that last week. Dean groaned and ran a hand over his face. He never fretted this much over the women he found attractive, he had a natural ability to just know what to do and say, but with men…Dean always seemed to make a mess out of it. Despite being a 4 on the Kinsey scale, he rarely went out with men. He hated feeling off kilter around hot guys, but with Cas…Dean thought he’d at least try.

Dean awkwardly got up and made his way to the two, patting down his shirt and retucking the back. Dean would be damned if he wasn’t going to at least try to look put together.

Cas looked up and smiled as dean rounded the fish tank. “Mr. Smith.”

“I’ve told you before.” Dean tried to smile reassuringly, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded. “Call me Dean.”

Cas ducked his head. “Of course, my apologies.”

“Its fine!” Dean cleared his throat and fidgeted. “I just wanted to tell you that I think the tank is awesome!”

Cas’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “You like it?”

Dean was nodding. “Yeah, its great.”

A blush seemed to be working its way onto Cas’s cheeks. “Good. Great. Um, I’m glad you liked it.”

Dean couldn’t help but relax. Seeing Cas showing just the tiniest bit of nervousness had him suddenly realizing that maybe Cas was attracted to him as well. Dean smiled at Cas. “So what surprises do you have for us today?”

Cas let out a huff. “I don’t know about any surprises, but I do have your fish.” He gestured over to the cooler. “I’ve brought a few things for this tank. Some corydoras, some beautiful cichlids-”

Meg chose this time to interrupt, easily reminding Dean that he wasn’t alone with Cas right now- and when had he gotten so close to him? “Tell me you brought some blood parrots, Clarence.”

Can took in Meg’s raised eyebrow with one of his own. “I value my life too much not to bring a few. Please refrain from petting these ones, okay?” Cas turned back to Dean. “Blood parrots are her favorite so of course I brought those-” Dean could just barely hear Meg sigh happily. “And I brought some peacock cichlids.”

Dean could only nod because he had no idea what any of these were. “Uh, can I see them?”

Cas’s smile brightened to a near blinding level and Dean couldn’t help but smile back. “Of course! Let me open the cooler and start floating them.”

Dean watched as Cas popped the lid of his huge cooler and pulled out some plastic bags, each containing a few large fish. He held one up that contained 4 large red fish. “These are the ones Meg is in love with. I said she couldn’t pet them.” He turned to give Meg a look. “I will allow her to handfed them if she must.” He set that bag into the tank and let it float at the top. “I also have peacocks.” He pulled out a bag of fish the same size, but these were different. Some red with blue spots, some mostly blue, all with pretty patterns. The last two bags contained a small gray and black fish. “And the corydoras.”

By the time he was done, the whole top of the tank was blocked my plastic.

“Wow.” Dean mumbled. “That’s a lot of fish.”

Cas just nodded his head. “It’s a big tank.”

Dean shifted his feet awkwardly, not wanting to go back to his desk. “What’s next?”

“Well, I’m acclimating them to the temperature of the tank, and while that’s happening I’ll do a water test. If the water is good then they’ll go right in. Normally, you should slowly introduce them to a bit of water at a time, but that’s my filter media and these fish are coming from the same filtration system, so…”

Dean watched Cas take out some test tubes like a goddamn scientist and he couldn’t deny that it was a good look on him. He wanted to ask more questions, keep him talking in that deep voice, but he didn’t want to seem stupid. If there was one thing Dean could guarantee, its that he’s day something stupid. After filling the tubs with water and a few drops of who knows what, he shook the tubes and watched as they changed colors. He seemed satisfied with the colors and smiled at Dean.

“The water is great, we can add the fish now.” He took the bags out of the tank, one by one, and emptied the contents into a net that was suspended over a large bucket. “This is to stop any cross contamination.”

Dean watched in fascination as the netted fish were placed into the aquarium. They immediately scattered and began swimming around their new home. The last two bags were filled with a tiny fish dean had never seen before, not that he had seen the blood parrot or peacock ones before, but at least those ones looked like fish. These ones were smaller, silver and black in color, and where the cichlids had immediately started swimming, these ones sank to the bottom and scattered like cockroaches in the light. “What are those?” Dean asked, fascinated by their spooked behavior.

Cas finished transferring a second batch of those little fish into the tank. “These are one of my favorite fish. They're called corydoras and these are the peppered variety. They’re bottom feeders so they’ll scoop up any food that floats to the bottom, keeping the tank clean.”

“Cool.” And Dean really did think that. They reminded him of bugs.

“I think they’re cute too. I mean, look at that face.” He sighed happily and crouched down in front of the tank, gesturing for Dean to join him.

Dean couldn’t say no to an invitation like that. He crouched down next to Cas, their knees brushing, and pressed his nose against the tank just like Cas was. He could see their buggy little eyes, but what surprised him was that this close, they reminded him of catfish.

When Dean pointed it out, Cas’s face lit up. “Yes! They’re related. They have barbels and everything!” He sighed dreamily at them. “I just think they’re great.”

Dean looked closer, squinting at the frightened fish. “Do they do anything?”

Cas laughed, deeper and louder than he had ever heard. “They are scared. Give them time. They are quite active, but it might take a few days.”

Dean opened his mouth, ready to casually suggest a coffee date. Sure, it might seem like it came out of nowhere, but he had been thinking about asking Cas out for a week. Unfortunately, Cas’s phone ran loudly in his pocket. Cas looked at Dean apologetically and stood up and answered his phone.

He sighed as he watched Cas wander away. So much for that. At least now he had a few more minutes to think his question through. ‘Hey Cas, do you want to get some coffee with me?’. No. Too much of a chance for misinterpretation. He should probably use the word date. He wanted to make it very clear that this was a date. ‘Hey Cas, would you like to go out on a date with me?’ Oh my god. Maybe he should make it vague. The idea of clearly asking him out of a date, an idea that moments ago he as gung-ho for, not seemed intimidating as hell. Its been too long since Dean had been interested in someone for more than a night of fun. He hadn’t had to use the word date then, only had to smile and lick his lips and the ladies had practically ran at him vagina first.

With Cas though…

Dean wanted to date this man. He wanted to get to know this handsome, nerdy, passionate man, and he didn’t really know what to do.

Cas choose that moment to end his call. “Dean, I must go.”

Deans heart stuttered. “Oh…”

“Alfie is working on the tank in the lobby and there is a problem with the nitrate level. I need to look at it.” He began collective his things and shoving them into his empty cooler quickly.

Dean took a few steps towards Cas. “Is everything okay?”

He glanced up at Dean. “Yes, it shouldn’t be too hard to fix. I’ve taken up too much of your time, Dean. Have a nice day.”

And then he was gone.

Fuck.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Meg wandered in after her lunch to find Dean sulking in his office. He hadn’t even known Meg had left, he was so absorbed in Cas. He could see her stop at the stocked tank and peer into it, no doubt fawning over her blood parrots. To his surprise, a group of them swam up to where she was at the glass and zoomed back and forth. It looked to be the fish equivalent of a dog wagging its tail. Her lips were moving with unheard words, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. She had a connection with Cas that he would never have. She got him, understood his hobby. God damnit, she was practically a fish whisperer.

He let his head fall to his desk with a thump.

The noise must have alerted Meg to his current stupor, because he could hear the gently padding of Meg’s heals against the carpet. “Mr. Smith, has Clarence left?”

He groaned in response, not caring that Meg was witness to his shame.

“Wow…you’ve got it bad.”

Dean groaned again, louder this time. “You’re fired.”

She laughed. “Good luck replacing me.”

He sighed and brought his head up to look at meg. “You’re hired again.”

She smiled at him and leaned up against the head of his desk. “Let me guess. He had to leave before you could make your move…”

His eyebrows pinched. “How obvious was I being?”

“Very.” She rolled her eyes. “But lucky for you, my angel is the most oblivious person I’ve ever met.”

“Angel?”

She frowned. “He’s named after an angel, Mr. Smith.”

“Great, he’s a freaking angel, and I’m just a corporate basket case.”

“Oh god.” Meg murmured. “You’re pathetic, aren’t you?”

“I take it back, you’re fired again.”

“Well, in that case I’m taking the blood parrots with my on my way out.”

“Good, they love you anyways.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I’ve been feeding them since they hatched, so I would hope so.”

He startled at that. “Really?”

“I’m at Cas’s shop nearly everyday. I help him breed these things. They’re like my babies.”

“Is that why he told you not to pet them?”

She shrugged. “He may have caught me with my hand in the tank more than once.”

Dean actually laughed, surprising himself. “That’s kind of cute.”

She shook her head. “Cant have you saying that. What would Cas think of you calling me cute?”

Dean blushed. “Well, he’s gone now.”

She gave him a raised eyebrow. “Well, he’ll be back in two weeks to service the tank.”

“Too long.” He mumbled.

She smirked. “I can always give him a call and tell him something is wrong with the tank. He’ll be right over then.”

“No!” Dean exclaimed. “That’s mean, he’ll never want to-” He paused. “Wait, you have his number?”

She laughed, seeming delighted. “Of course, I’ve known him since high school! He also left his business card, even knowing I didn’t need it.” Meg met his eyes and fished a business card out of the pocket of her tailored slacks. “I wonder why he would have left a business card, especially since he knew I didn’t need one…”

Dean reached up and snatched the card. “I’ll take it.”

She laughed again, the sound high and sweet. “Calm down cowboy.”

“I should call it.”

“Yup.” She popped her p loudly, turning from his desk and heading back to her own.

“Meg.” He called and waited for her to pause and turn around before he continued. “You don’t mind if I…” he blushed and looked away.

She gave him a small smile. “Why do you think I snuck out earlier?”

“Oh…”

Oh.

“Yeah.”

Dean smiled happily. “Thanks Meg.”

She nodded and got back to her work.

Now, Dean only had to decide how to contact him without looking like an idiot.

In the end, he decided he would get a fish.

Why the fuck not?

The little things were actually pretty cool, and after a week of being greeted by an absolutely beautiful fish tank, even he had to admit that it had certain calming properties.

And if he just happened to know someone who owned a fish store…

And If that guy just happened to be ridiculously attractive…

And kind of nerdy…

Now, Dean didn’t want to look like a complete idiot, so he _did_ do a little research. He ended up choosing to get a betta fish. Kinda low maintenance, but still pretty cool looking. Plus, they were badass little fuckers who would literally fight to the death. Pretty awesome, in Deans opinion.

He dressed carefully. Dark wash blue jeans and an olive green Henley that he knew brought out his eyes. Dean had decided on some black boots and no jacket, it would be a crime not to show off his muscular arms after all of the time he spent at the gym. And if this outfit was his go to bar outfit that always seemed to get him laid, then that was just a coincidence.

He even had a plan. He would roll up to Cas’s store in his baby, park right in front of the shop so Cas could see her (and then fall in love with Dean, because- come on- Dean knew baby was a panty dropper), and then walk in and wow Cas with his betta knowledge. And if Dean had lurked in an online fish forum for a week so he could know as much about bettas as possible, then no one had to be the wiser.

The door let out a jingle as he opened it, and he was immediately hit with the smell of water. It was kind of musty, but not in a bad way, not at all. He didn’t immediately see Cas, so he decided to wander around. There were isles of products, bottles of stuff, rocks, wood, plastic and ceramic tank decorations, and the walls were covered with fish tanks. There had to be hundreds of fish in there.

Dean whistled appreciatively. This was pretty fucking cool.

Quick footsteps interrupted deans musings, and he turned just as Cas came out of a back door. “I’m sorry, I had a-” He stopped and his mouth dropped open in surprise. “Oh, Dean.”

Dean smiled awkwardly at him. “Hey Cas.”

Cas’s eyes wandered over Dean as he took a few steps forward. “Its good to see you again, Dean.”

Dean cleared his throat and willed himself not to blush. “You too, Cas.” He was looking at Dean again, and it was the obvious appraisal in Cas’s eyes that brought him out of his fog. “I think I want to get a fish.”

Cas jerked out of his stupor. “Oh! Yes, of course. Why else would you-” Cas shook his head and smiled at Dean, small and sweet. “Do you have an idea of what you want?”

He nodded and walked over to the isle with the fish tanks, Cas following behind him. (If he swayed his hips a bit to show off his bowlegs, then he couldn’t be blamed for that either). “I was thinking of getting a five gallon tank with a betta.”

Cas seemed to brighten up. “They’re excellent beginner fish. Good choice.”

Dean ducked his head at the praise. “Thanks. I was thinking, if its ok, will you show me around?”

Cas nodded. “Of course. I’d love to share this with you.”

Oh god. He couldn’t just say stuff like that! “Ok!” His voice might have come out a little higher in pitch than he intended, but that was not his fault!

Cas either ignored it or didn’t notice, because he was already turning away and leading Dean to the walls of fish. “These are some beautiful orange rainbows. These almost went in your tank, but the parrots can be aggressive towards other fish so I didn’t want to risk it. They are in Mr. Adler’s tank.”

One by one, Cas took Dean from tank to tank. Angelfish, pleco’s, lots of different tetra, and many more sat in tanks that were lit up in a inviting way. “This is awesome, Cas.”

“I have a lot more in the back.” He admitted shyly with a smile.

“Will you help me set up the tank? I really like what you did with the one on my floor.”

Impossibly, Cas’s smile got bigger. “I’d love to!”

Dean couldn’t look away. “Good.”

“Unfortunately, with a five gallon tank, you’re limited by space. There are a few more things you need, a heater for example, and a filter. I’ll give you one of my sponge filters, of course, and then-”

“Woah.” Dean interrupted. “Don’t give me anything Cas. I can buy it. I want to do the whole ‘support your local fish store’ thing.”

He chuckled. “Got it. Well, if it makes you feel better you can buy the air pump. I still want to give you a sponge though, I have plenty of them and it will allow you to put the fish right into the tank.”

Dean considered for a minute. “Ok, sounds fair.”

Cas smiled and continued. “A betta needs somewhere where they can hide, so you can put a little log in there.” He picked up the correct tank and began walking away. They reached the isle with the decorations in it. “I’ll leave you to pick something and I’ll be back in a moment.”

Dean watched him walk away and let out a breath as he turned to the décor. After staring blankly at all of the decorations, he decided to just pick one. He ended up picking up a dark gray thing that looked like a broken barrel. Something that could be found on a sunken ship.

Cas was making his way back, fish tank in hand. He gestured to the items that had been placed in the tank. “Air pump, tubes, heater…” He glanced back up and squinted. “All necessary for a happy betta, I assure you.”

Dean held up his decoration. “This good?”

Cas regarded the décor for a moment and reached out his hand. Dean couldn’t help but suck in a breath as his hand brushed his as he took the decoration. “Run your fingers over it, is it smooth?” Dean did as he was told and felt the smooth surface. “Betta’s have very delicate fins, you don’t want anything that is sharp, or will grab.”

Dean touched it one more time and in a fit of boldness, he let his hand fall, brushing Cas’s hand in a way that would leave no question of his intention. “I think its fine.”

Cas’s eyes were intent on Dean. “Would you like to come and look at the betta’s?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Cas walked him over to some of the smaller tanks. Halfway there, he stopped. “Actually. I have a fish I want you to take a look at.”

Dean was filled with curiosity. “Sure.”

“Alfie!” Cas turned and yelled, almost causing Dean to jump.

After a few moments, Alfie scurried in through a back door, still chewing whatever he had been eating. “Yes?”

Cas walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m taking Dean into the back, will you watch the store?”

“Of course!” He replied proudly, smiling at Cas in thanks.

Cas caught Deans eye and jerked his head towards the door. “Follow me, please.”

Dean glanced towards the walls of tanks that housed the bettas, but shrugged. There was probably a good reason Cas wasn’t showing him those. The room he entered was huge, almost as big as the shop. It was obviously for the employees, as proven by the few lockers in the back and a small kitchenette in the corner. The rest of it was row after row of fish. The tanks were large, probably as long as his arm span. There were smaller tanks in the back, smaller than the five gallon tank he was planning on buying. It was to those that Cas led Dean.

Can could see Dean looking around in wonder. “This room holds the quarantine tanks, special orders, and a lot of stock that have just come in.” He pointed out a few tanks. “Those are some fry tanks over there, some various cichlids in that one, and lots of other fish.” He pointed to a huge pile of wood. “That is some stock of driftwood, most of which I’ve found on hikes. Its popular so it pays to have a ton.”

“Wow.” Was all Dean could say.

Cas nodded happily. “So…”

Deans eyebrows rose. “Yeah?”

“How do you feel about adopting a fish?”

He frowned. “Adopting?”

Cas squinted at some of the smaller tanks. “Just like with other pets, people will buy an animal and then later decide they cant take care of it. I have a betta I think you might like.” Cas looked at Dean then, head tilted, gauging his expression. “From what I understand, a mom bought him for her daughter without knowing what they were getting into. They put the poor thing in a tiny bowl on the kitchen table and didn’t do much after that. I guess they went on vacation for a week and forgot about him…”

“Geeze.”

“Yeah. He barely made it.” Cas finally pointed to the fish. “He kind of reminds me of you.”

To be honest, from afar, he didn’t look like much. Dean leaned in a little more and smiled at the little guy. His body was brown, but as he turned back and forth in the small tank, Dean could see that he had some blue scales that shone in the light. His long flowy fins were mostly clear, but tipped in blue. Dean really couldn’t see why the little guy reminded Cas of him, but as he squinted and peered closer, he saw it. Red spots on his fin. The little fucker had freckles. “Does he have freckles?”

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/163073738@N08/38657920280/in/dateposted-public/)

Cas nodded, his face open and waiting.

“That’s fucking cute.” Dean flushed, knowing he didn’t exactly sound cool.

He nodded quickly. “Isn’t he?”

Dean watched him zigzag through his tank. “He’s kind of twitchy…”

Cas laughed warmly. “He thinks you’re going to feed him.”

“Oh…” he replied. That was pretty fucking cute. “Does he have a name?”

“The little girl called him Spots. Of course you can always change the name.” He cleared his throat. “If you want him, that is.”

Dean put his finger up to the tank and watched the fish swim up to it. “I definitely want him.”

O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Dean Smith, head of sales and marketing at Sandover Bridge and Iron Inc., was a fucking idiot.

He knew he was an idiot the minute he walked out of Fine Fins.

All he had to was ask him out for some fucking coffee. Coffee! It wasn’t that hard. He was at the register, it was right on the tip of his tongue, but then the transaction was over. Dean said goodbye, Cas said goodbye, he left…

‘Hey Cas, did you want to get coffee with me sometime?’ That’s all he had to say. Cas was feeling it, he knew. No one smiled that much at you unless they were attracted to you.

Dean opened the door to his condo and groaned into the quiet front room. He held up the bag that contained his new pet. “I’m an idiot.” He told him. The little guy just sat there, his little arm fins beating back and forth. His little overbite mouth just frowning at him.

He sighed and placed everything down. The tank ended up going in his living room on the entertainment system he never used. His TV was mounted anyway, he didn’t need the damn thing. The set up was easy, the only hard part was finding a bucket for the water. He added the water conditioner and the stressguard, just like Cas had told him to and then used a net to put his new pet in the tank. The last thing to do was put the hood on the tank, and when he reached into the bag for the hood, he saw something at the bottom of the bag. Curiously, he picked it up and read the small writing on the business card.

Fine Fins, it said along with an address and phone number. Dean sighed. That was nothing he couldn’t find out with a quick google search. What was he expecting? A handwritten love note? He sighed and tossed the card next to the tank. He’d put that in his wallet later.

Spots head was finally poking out of his little barrel he had gone to hide in. His buggy little eyes were looking at him in disapproval. “You have a dog name.” Dean told him. The little guy just swam up to the surface and collected some air and blew it out in a bubble.

“I know. You don’t have to tell me…”

Spots did it again.

“Yeah, well…I was going to ask him out, but then I just…” He sighed and rested hid chin on his arm.

He flared out his fins.

“Hey. Don’t be rude.” He mumbled and then stood up with a sigh. He grabbed the business card, and flipped it around.

There, on the back of the card were words. Handwritten ones. Written by Cas. Motherfuck.

 

  
_‘If you need anything, give me a call!_  
_\- Cas - 555-3192’_

 

  
Dean was dumbfounded. Cas’s phone number was right in front of him. He flipped it back over just to double check, and yes…it was different than the front. That meant that this had to be Cas’s phone number. His personal one.

He reached behind himself and felt for his coffee table. With a sigh, he sat down and closed his eyes tightly. Cas, that fucking gorgeous man, had put the ball right into Deans court. He didn’t know what to do. The obvious choice was to give Cas a call. Which he would totally do. Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow.

Unless…

Maybe Cas just meant he could call if he had any questions, or needed help with the fish. If Dean called and asked Cas out, only to be rejected because Cas wasn’t into him, then he would probably never show his face again.

He looked at Spots. “Should I call him?”

Spots didn’t reply.

“Fuck it.” Dean muttered.

Louder this time. “Fuck it!”

7 numbers. Green send button. Press. Goddamn it. He needed to get his heart under control right the fuck now. There was some ringing, and just before Dean thought he would loose his nerve, it stopped.

“Hello?”

Oh fuck. Why hadn’t he taken a few minutes to think of what he would say? Screw that, he should have texted. Shit. “Uh, hey Cas.”

It was quiet on the other side for a moment. “Dean?”

Dean rubbed at his temple for a moment. “Yeah.”

“Oh. I hadn’t expected to hear from you so soon.”

God damnit. Why hadn’t he waited a few days? He had seen Cas two hours ago. He could have at least waited a day. Great. Now he was looking desperate. “Uh…”

“I’m very glad you called.”

Oh.

“Yeah…” He let out a long breath. “I, uh, set up the tank.”

“Oh yeah? How did it go?”

Dean smiled. “Great.”

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it.”

“And how do you like Spots? Are you happy with him?”

“He’s a cool little guy.” Dean looked over at his new friend and bit lip. “The tank looks nice. I put it in my living room.”

“That’s a good place to put it. I have one in my living room as well. The rest are elsewhere”

“How many tanks do you have?”

He laughed. “A lot. I’ll have to show you my fish room sometime.”

“That’d be cool.” Inside that was screaming. Cas _had_ to be into him. That was an invitation to his house. His house! To show him his fish room, but still. That wasn’t something you did for someone you didn’t like. It was a damn good start.

Cas paused. “I just realized I never asked what you wanted. Where are my manners? There must have been a reason you called. Was there something you needed, Dean?”

Here he friggin goes. A lot sooner into the conversation than he wanted, but… “Yeah, Cas. I was wondering if you wanted to get coffee sometime. With me.”

Cas was silent just long enough for Dean to start freaking out. He obviously misread the situation. Cas wasn’t into him, he was just being nice. Just like he had feared. He needed to apologize and tried to make it right. Even if Cas didn’t want to date him, he still wanted to at least be friends with the guy. If they weren’t friends, it would be awkward when they saw each other every time Cas serviced the fish tanks. Really akward. He didn’t want to have to go through that.

“Am I correct in assuming you mean this to be a date?”

Oh God. “Yeah Cas. A date…with me.”

“Oh.” Silence again. “Then yes.”

Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “That’s good.”

Cas let out a chuckle. “I wasn’t sure you were interested.”

He smiled into the phone. “I am, trust me.”

“I see that. I’m not the best with other people. Most people find me strange.”

Dean snorted. “I don’t think you’re strange. I think you’re pretty cool, Cas.”

“Thank you Dean.”

Dean’s dopy smile would have been embarrassing if anyone saw it.

Cas continued. “Meg tried to tell me you were interested. But I wasn’t sure if she was serious or not. I should have known that she would never try to set me up with someone in jest.”

Meg was getting a god damn raise. “I’ll have to thank her for that.”

“Dean…” Cas hesitated. “Would it be strange of me to say that I am very much looking forward to our date?”

Deans chest fluttered with butterflies. “No.” His voice took on a soft quality. “Its not. Do you want to meet tomorrow morning? Or do you have to work?”

He was silent for a minute. “I can work it out.”

“Cas. I don’t want to inconvenience you. We can always-”

“Dean.” He interrupted. “I would really like to have our date tomorrow.”

The word ‘date’ was giving Dean the warm and fuzzies. “Oh. Good.”

“I must go now, but Dean…thanks for calling.” There was a sigh. “I’m not used to putting myself out there.”

“I’m glad you did it for me.”

“I have a feeling you are going to be worth it, Dean.”

“Shit, Cas…”

“I’m going to end the call now.”

He let out a chuckle. “Okay.”

Dean waited for the call to end and then smiled.

He walked over and put his finger against the fish tank. Spots swam up the glass and bumped it. “Fuck yeah. High five, little guy!”

Dean definitely didn’t do a little dance.

And he definitely didn’t put on Tailor Swift when he did it.

Dean would never.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Destiel. Any comment are apreciated!
> 
> If enough people like this, I wouldnt mind writing a verse. Cas has to show Dean his fish room after all... *wink* *wink*
> 
> P.s.- Thats my actual betta. Yes, his name is Spots. My 4 year old named him, so...


End file.
